The 22 New Cookbooks I’m Cooking From This Fall

I went through a delightful phase in my teenage years when everything my parents did or said made me cringe. I’m sure no one can relate.

My mom still likes to tell one particular story about when she was spending a relaxing afternoon flipping through her collection of Southern Living annual cookbooks. I came out onto the porch and asked, with a touch of scorn—and probably an eye roll for good measure—“Why do you spend so much time looking at cookbooks?”

She likes to rib me because now my job is talking, thinking, and writing about food. I’ve even co-authored a cookbook, Joy of Cooking.

I spend far more time now than she ever did flipping through cookbooks. While I do wish I could go back and be less of a jerk to my mother (sorry, Mom!), I have no regrets about my massive cookbook collection, and I’ll happily spend a lazy Saturday afternoon flagging recipes with sticky notes. 

This year’s crop of fall cookbooks is especially tempting. I’ve already spent hours thumbing through their pages, and my list of recipes to try is very, very long. Any of these books will give you hours of pleasure and, most importantly, help you make something delicious and memorable to share with the ones you love, even if they’re bratty teenagers.

What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking

By Caroline Chambers (August 13)

Just the title of this book (so relatable!) made me want to run to my local bookstore. The recipes are organized by time investment, from a mere 15 minutes to more than an hour. Caroline Chambers’ voice is steady and reassuring throughout. The whole book feels like a pep talk, and by the time I’ve found the recipe that suits my time frame, the season, and the contents of my pantry, I’m actually in the mood to cook again.

You Gotta Eat

By Margaret Eby (November 19)

I wish I had this book during the darkest days of the pandemic, when everything felt so overwhelming that I mostly lived on toddler food: hummus and crackers, oranges cut into wedges with the peel left on, and cheese sticks. You Gotta Eat feels like the kindest permission slip to let go of guilt around not cooking while also providing good strategies for nourishing yourself when life is hard.

Bodega Bakes

By Paola Velez (October 1)

Pastry chef and founder of Bakers Against Racism, Paola Velez is inspiring and really funny (and fun!)—the kind of person you want to be friends with. Bodega Bakes is an extension of that bubbly, wildly talented person. Velez describes her book as “a mix of [her] classical training and love of Americana filtered through the Bronx and the islands of the Caribbean.” The creative and colorful recipes include gummy bear-inspired cookie bars, tamarind pecan pie, and Thai tea sticky buns. 

Justine Cooks

By Justine Doiron (October 29)

I can feel my blood pressure go down every time one of Justine Doiron’s videos comes up on my For You page. I get so focused on cooking better, smarter, and faster that I forget to cook thoughtfully, and absorbing a Justine Cooks video is the culinary version of touching grass. Flipping through her cookbook has the same effect, and I suspect this book will long live next to my stove as a reminder to bring care back into my kitchen.

The League of Kitchens Cookbook

By Lisa Kyung Gross and the Women of the League of Kitchens Cooking School (November 12)

In 2014, Lisa Gross started the League of Kitchens, a home-based cooking school led by immigrant women from around the world. You can finally hold their wisdom and beloved family recipes in your hands in this beautiful collection of recipes. From Bangladeshi chicken and potato curry to Mexican shrimp ceviche, it’s a master class in home cooking around the world, and the warmth of the women who open their doors to strangers to share their love of cooking and food radiates from the pages.

Good Lookin’ Cookin’

By Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton George (September 17)

Dolly Parton has achieved what seemingly no other public figure has been able to: she is universally beloved. And her new cookbook—co-authored with her sister, Rachel Parton George—is just one more reason to love her. The book is worth a look just for the photos of the authors decked to the nines in colorful seasonal outfits, but give the recipes a gander, too. They hew delightfully Southern, with favorites from the Parton family including Mama’s Banana Pudding and—my favorite—a recipe for corn sticks (if you know, you know).

The Cake Bible, 35th Anniversary Edition

By Rose Levy Beranbaum and Woody Wolston (October 22)

Baking from The Cake Bible, first published in 1988, is like getting a masterclass in cakes. Author Rose Levy Beranbaum doesn’t just slap together cake layers with frosting and call it good. She exhaustively researches, tests, and measures to the gram until every single element is perfect. The book’s 35th anniversary is the perfect time to get better acquainted with the art and science of cake-making. Consider this book non-negotiable if you have any interest in becoming a better baker.

Sweet Tooth

By Sarah Fennel (October 8)

I know I’m going to love a new cookbook when I flip through, realize I’m flagging almost every single recipe, and finally give up. I might as well close my eyes, turn to a random page, and just bake whatever crops up.

That’s exactly how I feel about this book. I simply can’t choose! Will I start with the Giant Peanut Butter Cup (I mean, come on), the ode to Little Debbie’s oatmeal creme pies (my childhood favorite), or the charred, marshmallow-crowned Hot Chocolate Cookies? Yes. The answer is yes.

Zoë Bakes Cookies

By Zoë François (September 3)

Cookie books are as irresistible as the cookies themselves, and if Zoë François’s new book is half as good as her last—Zoë Bakes Cakes—I’ll be baking from it all season long. I love how the author arranged the recipes around different parts of her experience and identity—her childhood growing up in a Vermont commune and her grandmother’s very traditional Christmas celebrations—as each sets the tone for the jewel box of recipes within.

Martha: The Cookbook

By Martha Stewart (November 12)

I started watching Martha Stewart Living as a tween, drawn right away to how she made everything look effortlessly beautiful and always seemed perfectly poised. Martha’s latest cookbook is the pure distillation of that gracious ease. Every recipe is classic and elegant, and the headnotes are bonkers (a who’s who of the rich and famous) and very fun to read. First on my list to try? The Custard Egg Sandwiches and Sugar-and-Tea-Smoked Chicken.

Baking in the American South

By Anne Byrn (September 3)

Even if you didn’t grow up in the South like me, you’ve probably swooned over crusty cornbread, tender pound cake, or pillowy buttermilk biscuits at least once. Anne Byrn’s gorgeous book doesn’t just teach you how to make these southern staples. It eloquently delves into the history behind them, shining a light on the people and places that made Southern food the United States’ most beloved regional cuisine. 

Easy Weeknight Dinners

By Emily Weinstein (October 8)

Come 4 p.m., I’m regularly stumped as to what I’m going to make for dinner. I might browse blogs, look at my Instagram feed, or hastily flip through a magazine. But now that this book exists, I have a new strategy: randomly open to a page, make whatever is on that page, and feast. How does every recipe in this book look SO good? It might have something to do with the all-star lineup of New York Times recipe developers whose recipes are featured.

Classic German Cooking

By Luisa Weiss (October 29)

The recipes in this book are like a warm hug, something cozy to wrap yourself in during the cold days to come. Many of them make good use of some of my very favorite ingredients: cabbage, potatoes, cheese, and mustard. Think: noodles with cheese and caramelized onions, potatoes with creamy herb sauce, and meaty cabbage rolls. In other words, everything I want to eat in the fall and winter months.

What Goes With What

By Julia Turshen (October 15)

Julia Turshen became known on Instagram for her hand-written recipe charts. For those of us who know how to cook but struggle with inspiration, these clever recipe matrices give you a direction then send you on your way. I’m thrilled that Julia turned her idea into a full-fledged book, with charts galore (a visual feast!) but also with fully fledged recipes for those of us needing a little more guidance.

Crumbs

By Ben Mims (October 29)

This cookbook is as loaded with delicious-looking gems as a pile of cowboy cookies is with mix-ins. Essentially a cookie atlas, Crumbs is a love letter to cookies from around the world, from the thin and crunchy whole wheat biscuits of India to the chewy honey and cinnamon cookies of Bulgaria. While holiday cookie swaps aren’t competitions, if you have a competitive streak (definitely not me…ahem), this book will help you “win,” if only in your mind.

AfriCali

By Kiano Moju (August 13)

“I really appreciate when an author infuses themselves into every page of their cookbook. That’s the case with AfriCali, Kiano Moju’s new cookbook that draws on her upbringing, family, and the cuisines therein. The combination is pure joy—African cuisine collides with American cuisine in thoughtful ways, from Feta & Herb Samosas to Yassa Poisson to Harissa Chili. Beautiful images of the food, Moju, and her family are bonuses.” —Laurel Randolph, Senior Recipe Editor

The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple

By Jenny Rosenstrach (August 27)

This cookbook would win the class superlative, “Most Likable.” All the recipes sound like something I would enjoy cooking and eating—just the right amount of cozy, comforting, and fresh. I’ve got my eye on the beans and cheese (think mac and cheese but…with beans), butter-fried cabbage with apples, and shells with artichoke sauce (a creamy pasta sauce made from—wait for it—canned artichokes!).

Pass the Plate

By Carolina Gelen (September 24)

Carolina Gelen’s Instagram account is consistently one of my favorites. Her recipes always make me think about food in a new way, and her cookbook is no exception. However, I made a mistake when I flipped through this cookbook the first time—I did it on an empty stomach. By the end, I was absolutely ravenous. From a sesame-crusted breakfast quesadilla to a cardamom-scented upside-down cake, nearly every single recipe in this book caught my eye. I can’t wait to cook through the whole thing.

Mastering the Art of Plant Based Cooking

By Joe Yonan (September 3)

I’m not a vegetarian, but I’m always grazing for new ways to get more colors of the rainbow on my table. This book is the latest definitive guide in cooking vegetables, and while the number of recipes might be intimidating, just do what I do: look in the crisper, choose a vegetable, then look it up in the index. For my late summer zucchini harvest, I found a creamy zucchini salsa, a tender apple and zucchini quick bread, and zucchini and black bean enchiladas. Yum!

The King Arthur Baking Company Big Book of Bread

By King Arthur Baking Company (October 22)

Nothing makes me feel more accomplished in the kitchen than baking bread. If you think bread is too complicated for you but you’ve always wanted the satisfaction of making your house smell like a bakery, scoop up King Arthur Baking Company’s latest cookbook. For the recipes with the lowest effort-to-reward ratio, turn right to the section on flatbreads. There’s even a chapter on dishes you can make with bread, whether homemade or store-bought.

The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner

By Suzy Karadsheh (September 24)

Here is a cookbook that speaks straight to my heart—and my stomach. The pages are filled with recipe after recipe for easy, flavor-packed, healthy(ish!) Mediterranean-inspired recipes that work equally well as a weeknight meal or for a casual dinner party with friends. I can’t wait to try Pan-Seared Red Snapper with Mint Salsa, the Herby Algerian Cucumber Salad, and the Green Goddess Chicken Kebabs, just to name a few. If the pages of this cookbook aren’t speckled with saucy spatters and smudged with spices within a month, I’ll be shocked.

A Thousand Feasts

By Nigel Slater (October 1)

I don’t read many cookbooks cover to cover, but I treat Nigel Slater’s like novels—they deserve to be read. A Thousand Feasts isn’t a cookbook, but I feel strangely nourished after reading it. The book is a series of poetic vignettes, each the perfect length for reading right before you fall asleep. That is, if they don’t compel you to creep to the kitchen for a late-night snack instead.